The National President of the Young Professionals Club, Ayoola Jolayemi, has urged the government to provide incentives for Nigerian youths in the diaspora to return home and tackle the brain drain in the country.
He made this call in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH on the club’s forthcoming conference.
The conference, which will be held on Wednesday, has the theme “Value Reimagined and Repositioned”.
He said, “To capitalise on the growing trend of Nigerian youth leaving the country, commonly referred to as ‘japa’, policymakers can approach the issue with a fresh perspective. Instead of seeing it as a brain drain, they can view it as a brain circulation, where returning youth bring back new skills, experiences, and networks that can benefit the country’s economic growth.
“One way to encourage this is by offering incentives to Nigerian youth abroad to return home. Also, implementing targeted programmes, such as reverse mentoring initiatives, where returning youth share their knowledge with local businesses and startups, can stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship.
“Another way to facilitate knowledge transfer and investment is by setting up innovation hubs or incubators in partnership with diaspora networks. This can create opportunities for collaboration and growth, empowering Nigeria’s youth population while driving economic development.”
According to Jolayemi, the private sector could play a significant role in empowering young people economically by actively encouraging innovation, job creation, mentorship, and internship opportunities.
He added, “To navigate the current situation, young people must subject themselves to training, re-training, and consistent learning. They must learn skills that are in demand, and relevant while also positioning themselves to be found.
“Recently, data annotation has emerged as a skill that is in demand, but not yet popular in Nigeria. It is the process of attributing, tagging, or labelling data to help machine learning algorithms understand and classify the information they process.”
He noted that youths needed to increase their value, upgrade and update their skill set, and position themselves for opportunities, to be able to navigate the challenges of unemployment.
According to the YPC president, the youth represent the largest percentage of the population in the country, and they have the strength, ideas, courage, and time to make a significant impact.
He claimed that if the youths were properly placed, trained, and groomed, it would result in positive outcomes across different areas.
He added, “We started this club to help young professionals learn from one another and gain valuable support they might not be able to access elsewhere.
“The Young Professionals Club Conference is a yearly event that aims to bring together entrepreneurs, innovators, and professionals from various sectors for networking, professional growth, and industry advancements. This year’s conference will be held on Wednesday, April 10 at 9 am at the Balmoral Convention Centre, Sheraton, Ikeja, Lagos State.”
He disclosed that the conference’s primary objective was to explore the dynamics of relevant industries/sectors, particularly as they pertained to the growing population of young, talented individuals in Nigeria and beyond.
“The goal is to discuss how we can collaborate and support each other’s professional growth,” he asserted.
